Gentlemen and Players — Ernest William Hornung / E.W. Hornung

Ernest William Hornung (7 June 1866 â€" 22 March 1921), known professionally as E. W. Hornung (nickname Willie), was a poet and English author, most famous for writing the A. J. Raffles series of stories about a gentleman thief in late 19th century London. Hornung was born in Middlesbrough, England, the third son and youngest of eight children of John Peter Hornung, who was born in Hungary. Ernest Hornung was educated at Uppingham School during some of the later years of its great headmaster, Edward Thring. Hornung spent most of his life in England and France, but in December 1883 left for Australia, arrived in 1884 and stayed for two years where he worked as a tutor at Mossgiel station in the Riverina. Although his Australian experience was brief, it influenced most of his literary work from A Bride from the Bush published in 1899, to Old Offenders and a few Old Scores, which was published after his death. Nearly two-thirds of his 30 published novels make reference to Australian incidents and experiences.